Method of manufacturing metal clips or links



Dec.- 31, 1946. v. J. DEL GIUDICE.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING METAL CLIPS OR LINKS 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 14, 1942 ill L. NW

w www ORNEYS.

Dec. 31, 1946. 1 DEL GIUDlCE 2,413,548

qMETHOD OF MANUFACTURING METAL CLIPS OR LINKS Filed Feb. 14,l '1942 5 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR v z'cfar Jgd/@dr BY Y MM (56 I A ORNEY Dec.'31, 1946. v. J. DEL GIUDICE l y METHOD OF MANUFACTURING METAL CLIPS OR LINKS n Filed Feb..1'4, 1942l 5 sheets-sheet 5 ff) (w, @if

, l j? v I a k\\v /ff i 'L I INVENTOR l' y l/Zzzar fel'l'zzdz'ce.

' 1 BY n A ORNEYS Patented Dec. 31, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MANUFACTURING METAL CLIPS OR LINKS Application February 14, 1942, Serial No. 430,848

6 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to the manufacture of metal clips or links such, for example, as clips or links which are used for interconnecting in series a plurality of shells or cartridges to provide a so-called cartridge belt or strip for use with a machine gun. As will be understood, the clips or links and the shells or cartridges together form the belt and the cartridges 2 clips or the remainder of the blank or workpiece.

themselves function as hinge pins or the like to join the clips or links together in the formation of the articulated belt. The invention also contemplates, however, the production of a plurality of other articles of like or similar nature. Heretofore, in the manufacture of suchbelt clips or links, from a strip or ribbon-like length of metal, a considerable portion of the metal of the blank strip became scrap and thus waste material during the method or process of forming the clips or links. It is, therefore, one of the important objects and advantages of my invention to provide an improved Vmethod or process and the means or mechanism for carrying it out, in which a plurality or succession of clips or links are formed from a length'of stock, such as a ribbon-like piece of steel, by a continuous or 1- progressive process or method, and in which a minimum of waste material or scrap occurs.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved method or process for manufacturing metal clips or links for the foregoing or other purposes by virtue of which a plurality or series of clip-forming operations are performed simultaneously on the blank or ribbon-like piece of stock during the progressive movement or advance of the stock from station i to station while carrying out the various steps of the method or process.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method or process of the foregoing character by virtue of which the successive clips or links may be individually subjected to a preforming step or operation while remaining an integral part of the blank or Work y strip without changing or otherwise affecting the position or location of the blank during the preforming operation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved method or process-of the foregoing character in which the clips or links are subjected to a preforming operation which causes a slight movement of ,a portion of the clip undergoing said preforrning operation relative to the adjacent clips and the remainder of the strip or work blank without, however, causing any movement whatsoever Qf said adjacent Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method or process of the foregoing character which includes a succession or series of steps for forming from a single, continuous blank or ribbon-like strip of metal, a plurality of finished clips or links, in which the method or process includes novel shearing operations which permit the later preiorming operation on a portion of each of the clips in the blank While said clips remain a part of the blank or work' strip.

A further object ofthe present invention is to provide an improved method or process for manufacturing metal clips or links by virtue. of .which the lead or forward portion of one clip or link and the following or rear portion of the next advanced link are so formed in the blank or strip of material as to intert one within the other and thus eliminate, to a large extent, the production of scrap and thus waste metal between adjacent clips.

The above and other objects and advantages of the foregoing invention will appear from the following description and appended claims when produced by the method of the present invention.

Fig'. 3 lis a plan view, partly in section, and partly broken away, illustrating a portion of my improved vmethod or process and portions of the .apparatus for carrying it out, for producing clips or links in accordance with the present method.

Fig. 4 is a continuation of Fig. 3; the righthand end of Fig. 3 and the left-hand end of Fig. 4 should be joined to show a continuous method or process. Separation of the method or process and the mechanism or apparatus for carrying it out was done'` so as to reduce the length of the gure which could not have been placed in desirable scale on the drawings in a single ligure only.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. '3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line 6-6 of Fig. 3, locking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional View, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially along the line 'lof Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged transverse sectional View taken substantially along the line 8-8 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially along the line 9-9 0f Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 10v is an enlarged longitudinal sectional iew taken substantially along the line Ill-I0 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 11 is a transverse sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially along the line ll-ll of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. l2 is an edge view of a completed clip or link which was made in accordance with the process of the present invention, with the exception or" a iinal operation or series of operations for giving the clip its final form or shape as shown; and

Fig. 13 is a plan View of the completed clip or link -of Fig. 12.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also .it is to be understood that the phraseolcgy or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, and it is not intended to limit the invention claimed herein beyond the scope of the appended claims.

Previous attempts have been made to produce cartridge clips or links by progressive methods or processes from a single strip or blank of metal but in all such cases considerable waste material or scrap has resulted from the carrying out of such methods or processes. So far as is known, no one has heretofore evolved a method or process by which it has been possible to produce a plurality or series of clips or link members for use in connection with shells or cartridges, from a single strip or blank of material, which method included a preforming step whereby a portion of each of the successive clips or links was preformed while remaining an integral part of the strip or blank, without in any way alecting the position, location or condition of the remainder of the strip or blank. Therefore, it is an important purpose of the novel method or process vof forming clips or linksin accordance with the present invention, to form progressively a plurality or series of clips or links vhaving interltting portions, in which the method or process includes the novel step of preforming a portion of a clip at a predetermined stage of the method, during which preforrning operation a portion of said clip is caused to move longitudinally relative to the next adjacent clip with which it interfits and also relative to the entire blank or strip of material, which latter remains in its normal position and condition during the preforming operation.

Moreover, it is a further important feature of the present invention to provide an improved method or process which includes shearing operations or steps which are so arranged and carried out as to make possible the preforming operation of a later step in the method or process and to permit the aforesaid movement of the clip or link member during the preforming operation relative to the remainder of the blank or strip of material from which the clips or links are being formed.

Referring now to the drawings, in Fig. 1 there is shown, somewhat schematically, a strip or length of metal stock from which is formed, by a succession or series of preferably die operations or steps, metal cartridge or shell clips, one such clip being shown at the right of Fig. l and in Fig. 2, after the nal operation or step of the present method or processhas been completed.

In Figs. 3 and 4 there is shown, somewhat more in detail, the blank or strip of material, indicated as a whole at I5, and the operations or steps performed upon said material at the various stages or stations of the method or process, t0- gether with portions of die forming mechanism or apparatus for performing the various steps or operations of said process or method. In general, the present method or process, as disclosed herein, comprises a first step or operation performed at station A (Fig. 3) which involves a shearing operation by a shearing die (see Figs. 3 and 5) to form a portion of the outline of a single clip from the stock or strip I5, said clip being indicated as having a tongue portion or lead end I6 and a pair of slits or cuts I8 defining a portion of the outline of the body oi the iinished clip, see Fig. 1. During the shearing operation at station A, a simultaneous punching operation is performed toproduce a substantially rectangular hole or opening Il which is located in the blank in spaced relation to and in advance of the lead end or tongue portion i6 of the partially formed clip (see Figs 3 and 5).

The stock or strip l5 moves from station A to station B` at which station a pilot 2t (Fig. 5) carried by an upper die member enters the hole or opening il' just described so as to locate or position the blank i5 properly for the performance of the second step or operation of the method. The second step, as shown, constitutes a second nearing operation performed by a shearing punch carried by an upper portion of the die mechanism or apparatus, See particularly Fig. 5. This punch shears the metal between the hole Il' and also in the region of the tongue and outline i8 and thus provides'a second or further cut as as indicated by the cut-lines It in Figs. 1, 3 and 5. It is to be noted at the left end of the strip I5 in Fig. l that the width of the tongue or lead portion l of the clip is given as approximately .55 inch which indicates the width or location of the shear or parallel cuts which occur at station A. The second shearingcperation performed at station B eliectsl a second cut so that the blank is slit in the region 'of the lead end or tongue l5 ata width of approximately .59 inch, thus leaving a space or clearance of approximately .020 inch as shown at 22a between the tongue or lead end i6 of said clip and the partially formed leg portions 23 of the adjacent clip to the right.

From station B, the blank or strip of material i5 moves to station C at which station a trimming operation is performed to remove or punch out the metal at opposite sides of the body portion iSd of thc partially formed clip, along the lines or cuts indicated at 8 and I9, to provide the pair of openings 2l, as seen in Figs. 1 and 4. At station C a second operation is performed simultaneously with the trimming operation, this (see Figs. l and 3) to provide thezspaceor opening .22 4between the legs Z3 of :the'next 'adjacent clip :to the yright.

Thefstrip or workpiece lli is further Yadvanced .fromstation C toward the right to station Dat which point `the p-reiorming operation on .the body portion lea or the clipfoccurs. During this prefo-rmingcperation which will be described in detail hereinafter, the vtongue or lead end i6 oi the vclip will be drawn or 'moved to the .left of Figs. l 4 and relative to the legs `2.3 vv.of the next adiacent clip vt the :right in these figures yto provide ared portions 2d in the body portion .lb of the clip. This movement of .the Vtongue .or lead portion i6 vand the body portion of the `clip relative tothe legs 23 of the next adjacent clip to the right, is permitted or made possible byv-irtue of the oombinationof the first and second shearing operations at stations A and B, re-

spectively, since these shearing operations have `provided or produced the clearanceZZa as .indicated at the right end of Fig. 1 and also in Fig. 4.

It will be understood that the clip or pair of adjacent clips'which are describedab-ove as being formed, have remained an integral partiof the blank or stock i throughout all of the operations performedat stations A, B, C and D.

From station D. the strip moves `toward vthe right to station E. At stationrE a separating or severing operation or step takes place during which the rst two adjacent clips at the righthand end of the blank are separated and their vadjacent corners rounded, as shown at i9 in 4. Thus the clip 5i to the right of the lblank of Fig. 4 is now no longer'a part of said, blank and has been formed into the shape and configuration as indicated herein and in Fig. 2. rIhis finished `clip as completed by the present method comprises a lead portion or tongue HB, a body portion 5b with ares 2d located at opposite lateral sides of the body portion and a bifurcated portion Comprising the legs 23a, whose inner ends are out away at their inner opposed longitudinal edges to provide the opening indicated at Ila. kIt will be understood that while I have described above the series or operations performed at the-different stations. namely stations A to ,E inclusive, upon a pair of adjacent clips, it will be understood that after the blank or work strip i5 been vfed through all of the l operations at the severa] stations describedabove, the bringing or moving together of the male and female die members and associated parts will perform, simultaneously. the entire series or group of operations on the blank or strip of material. In'other words, the shearing, piercing or punching, trimming and preforming operations, as described above, as well the separating operation at station E. are all performed simultaneously and since'the blank or work strip l5 is fed progressively through the apparatus from. station to station, a substantially continuous series of operations are performed upon the workpiece'so as to produce, with each advance movement of the workpiece, a completed clip or link member such as that sho-wn as a whole at 5l in Figs. 2 and 4.

'Referring now particularly to Figs. 5 to 11 in elusive of the drawings, suitable ,apparatus l.is shown .for the purpose of vcarrying-out the various operations or steps of the process which Voccur o r-take place at stations A, B, C, D and E, described above. Ait willbe understood that .any suitable die :apparatus or lmechanismmay be 1emlp'loyed for carrying out the present method or process, that being shownin the drawings vbeing merely illustrative of a suitable type of apparatus, means or mechanism forthis purpose. It will be .understood further that if and when desirable,

the die mechanism may be rearranged so that the strip or blank of material it may be fed longitudinally through the apparatus or mechanism on edge. In such a case, the apparatus would be arranged in a horizontal plane with the male and female portions or parts or the dies, etc., having relative movements toward and away from one another in a similar plane. Moreover, ii desirable, the positions of the male and female parts of the apparatus asshown in the accompanying drawings, could be reversed.

Station A Referring now particularly to the apparatus or mechanism located at station A and shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 6 of the drawings, 3G represents as a whole the upper die head or member which, as shown, carries a male die member or shearing punch 34 which is adapted to move downwardly and into position as shown in Fig. 5 in cooperation with the lower or female die member 3l of the apparatus. lt will be understood that as the K shearing punch or member 3e moves downward,

it shears the metal cf the blank l5 to provide the outline for the tongue portion it and the body portion its, of the irst clip as `defined or shown by the cuts or lines indicated at IB in Fig. 1. The portions Iii, Ita will be moved downward to the ruil line position and in Contact with the upper surface or face of a spring-pressed pad which is normally urged upward by virtue of Springseil. After the upper die member 3@ and the shearing punch 35, have moved upward out of contact with the female die member Si, the pad returns the portions id, ita. of the blank to their broken line position substantially flush with the blank or strip i5, as shown in Fig. 5. A stripper is provided for assisting in the work of the shearing die member 35i, said stripper being indicated as a whole at 32 in Figs. 3, 5 and 6.

Operating simultaneously with the shearing member 3A and carried by the die head 30 at station A, is a punch member 25| carried by head `3) which punch serves to .pierce the blank of metal E5 and to remove therefrom a piece of scrap metal see particularly Fig. 5. The

`punch 25 moves downward'with respect to the female die membery 3l and thus forces the pierced metal piece 25a into va suitable channel or opening formed in the lower die member. rI'he punch 25 forms the hole or opening il as clearly seen in Fig. l of the drawings. It is to be noted that this hole .il is located advance (tothe right) of the lead end or tongue 5E of the partially formed clip. This hole il provides a portion of the adjacent clip located tothe right of the tongue i6. IThe shearing operation, performed by the member se, shears the metal or the blank l5 to provide the tongue or lead portion iii which, as shown, has ya width of approximately .55 inch. The punching or piercing operation performed by the punch member 2li not only forms the beginning of the next adjacent clip or `link Vmember to the right Vof the tongue iibut also determines or prelooates the position of the second clip member to be formed in the blank.

By referenceto Fig. dof the drau ings, it will be seen .that the upper die member or head 3Q is `reciprocablfy .guided above and with relation vto .thelower diemember orbase 31 by means of a plurality of vertical 'columns or posts 33, only one such being shown.

Station B From station A, reference being had particularly to Figs. 3, and 6, the blank or stock I5 moves toward the right of Fig. 3 to the second stage or station of the process, designated station B. At station B (Figs. 3 and 7) the blank is subjected to a second shearing operation by means of a shearing die member 3S which subjects the previously sheared portion of the blank to a further shearing operation as indicated by the lines i9 in Figs. l and 5. During this shearing operation, the width of the shear adjacent the tongue portion I5 of the partially formed clip is increased to approximately .59 inch, thus producing a clearance or space between opposite side edges of the tongue It and the adjacent portions of the blank of a width of approximately .920 inch. It will be noted, see particularly Fig- 5, that the shearing die member 33 has associated with it a downwardly extending or projecting pilot 26. This pilot is adapted to enter the previously formed hole or opening Il in the blank or workpiece I 5 and thus position or properly locate the blank with respect to the second shearing die mechanism.

The upper die member or shearing device 38 moves downwardly and shears the blank to extend the shear along the lines I9 from the slot or opening Il rearwardly past the tongue portion I6 and in parallelism to the shear or cuts I8 shown in Fig. l, this second or increased shear being indicated .by the lines designated I9. As the shearing member 38 moves downward, it shears the metal blank I and moves it into contact with a spring-pressed pad 35i located in the lower die 3l, said pad being normally urged upward by springs 4Q. When the head 3l) carrying the shearing member 38 and pilot 26 are retracted in an upward direction, the spring-pressed pad 39 returns or moves the sheared portions of the blank I5 to the broken line position as shown in the right portion of Fig. 5. Thus, the portions 20 and IS of the blank I5 will be returned to substantially their original position in the blank so as to permit the entire blank to be moved further toward the right until it reaches the next station.

With respect to the shearing operation performed at station B, attention is particularly directed to Fig. '7 of the drawings wherein an enlarged transverse section through the second shearing means or apparatus is shown It will be clearly seen from an examination of Fig. 7 that the first shear line is indicated at i8 and the second line of shear at I9. Thus the distance between the two lines of shear, namely the rst shear I8` and the second shear I9, represents the amount of clearance or space which, as stated above, is approximately .020 inch.

Station C Referring now particularly to station C as best seen in Figs. 3, 8 and 9, there is performed, at this station, a so-called trim operation which is combined with a punching operation to remove `por-tions of the blank which have been previously 8. 42 which is provided for the purpose of removing metal on the opposite sides of the body portion Ia of the partially formed clip to provide slots or openings on opposite sides thereof, as seen at 2| in Figs. l and 4. As the shearing punch 42 moves down toward the base or female die member 3|, metal slugs 2Ia are removed from the blank, see particularly Fig. 8. These slugs are pushed downwardly into suitably located openings or channels formed in the die member 3I.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 3 and 9, it is to be understood that a punching operation occurs simultaneously with the trimming operation performed by .the trim punch 42. The upper die member Sil carries a preferably round punch member 21 which, when said upper die member moves down toward the lower die member, carries the punch 2l into contact with the previously sheared portion 20 of the blank to remove said portion, see particularly Fig. 9, and to leave a space or opening 22 in the blank, see Figs. 1, 3 and 4, which is dened on opposite sides thereof by the bifurcated portion of the neXt adjacent clip to the right which includes, as shown, the leg portions 23, After the combined trimming and punching operation has been performed at station C, and the upper die member with attached trim punch 42 and slug-removing punch 21 have been retracted or moved upwardly out of contact with the blank I5, said blank is moved forwardly or to the right until it reaches station D.

Station D Referring now particularly to the operation performed at station D and with particular reference to Figs. 4 and l0 of the drawings, it will be seen that the nearly completed clip or link member is still an integral part of the metal strip or workpiece I5. At station D, the apparatus or mechanism includes an upper die member 44 carried by the head 36. The underside of the die member 44 is provided with a pocket or recess for receiving and supporting a preforming die member 45. The lower or female die member 3I is provided with a pocket or recess which conforms to the shape of the preforming die member 45 and is provided with a bore in which a reciprocable spring-pressed plunger 46 is located, the spring not being shown. When the preforming die 45 moves down into contact with the clip or link member, the longitudinal edge portions of the body Ib of the clip are pressed downwardly and flared as shown at 24. When the upper die holder and preforming die move away from Ithe lower die member and the preformed clip or link, the spring-pressed plunger 46 functions to `lift the clip member out of the pocket or recess formed in the female or lower die member 3I so that the clip, which is still attached to the workpiece or strip I5, can be moved with the strip toward the right in Fig. 4 to the next operation which is performed at station E.

Station E Referring now to the operation performed at station E and with particular reference to Figs. 4 and l1 of the drawings, it will be seen that the upper portion or head til of the die mechanism carries a so-called separator die 48. The separator die 4S is adapted to move downwardly into the space formed in the lower or female die memberSI and during this downward movement, the combined separator and cutting die member 48 removes the web-like strips IEc, I 5c, which are disposed opposite the flared portions 24, 24 of the yclip and it beingude'rstod that the clip 52 remains" an integral part of the workpiece or strip l until said clip has-reached the position vacated by the clip 5I as shown in Fig. 4.

As seen in Fig. 4, the stripper 32 terminates somewhat in advance of ther-nechanism located at station D, since no stripper is needed for the operations performed at stationsD and E. If, however, it proves desirable to continue the stripperto include the mechanism located at stations D and E, this can be easily done. The successive clips, such as the clip 5i. are removed after the operation performed at station E and are shaped or completed by any suitable means or apparatus (not shown) and in any suitable manner to provide the finished clips such as the clips 6B shown in Figs. 12 and 13.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I havek provided a novel method or process and suitable means or mechanism for carrying it out in which a plurality of metal clips or links of the character described are formed from a single blank or strip of metal and in which all of the clips remain a part of the blank until the two adjoining clips at the lead end of said blank reach the last operation of the process or method which is performed by the mechanism located at station E. It is to be noted particularly that there is but a minimum of waste of material as the result of slugs or scrap removed from the blank during the method or process of forming the clips. Moreover, it will be seen that the tonque members or lead ends of the clips intert with the bifurcated following portions or leg members of the next advanced clip in the strip or workpiece. In this manner, considerable material is saved since, it is to be noted particularly, the only material removed as scrap between adjacent clips is that which is punched out to form the slot or opening Il, Ila, the blank piece between the opening I l and the adjacent lead end or tongue of the next clip to the left, the material which is removed from opposite sides of the body portion 16a, IGb of the clip, `to provide the openings 2l on opposite sides of the body portion, and finally the narrow Webs, strips or connecting pieces I5c which join the adjacent clips at their outer longitudinal edge portions. Thus, the total scrap removed from the blank is relatively small. Furthermore, attention is again invited to the fact that by virtue of applicants manner of using shearing dies or members, it is possible for the lead ends or tongues of the successive clips to be moved longitudinally relative to the body of the blank and the next adjacent clip without in any way affecting the positions of the blank itself or the other clips being formed therefrom.

I claim:

1. That improvement in the art of producing a plurality of metal articles of like character exltending across the entire width of a single metal blank by a substantially continuous method, which method comprises the steps of shearing said blank to provide a portion of one of said articles and simultaneously piercing said blank at a point removed from and in advance of the tiene sheared portion thereof, advancing said blank andlocating' the saine while simultaneously performingasecond shearing operation on the blank in the region of the first-named sheared and pierced portions thereof, trimming said blank in theloea'tion ofthe sheared'por'tions'thereof while simultaneously removing a portion of scrap from points- -locate'd entirely within the longitudinal edgesl of said blank,V preforming said anticle to provide a flare in portions thereof while permitting movement of a portion of said article relative'to said-blank without aifecting the position or location of the blank, and thereafter cutting said blank on a line: transversely of the longitudinal edges thereofv to separate said preformed article from the remainder of said blank.

Y2. Themethod of forming a plurality of metal clips'cf like size and formation from a single blank of metal by a substantially continuous series of dieopeiations, which comprises the steps of preliminar-ily forming a portion of one of said clips extending acrossv the entire width of said blank byshearing said blank and simultaneously forming a portion of another clip by a piercing operation, advancing said blank and performing a second shearing operation on the blank to further the completion of said second-named clip, performing a trimming operation on said blank to remove portions of the metal from points located solely Within the longitudinal edges of said blank and adjacent said partially formed clips and simultaneously removing said scrap metal,

subjecting one of said clips to a preforming opera/,tion to provide flared portions therein and simultaneously moving a portion of said preformed clip relative to the next adjacent clip without aiecting the position or location of the metal blank, and thereafter subjecting adjacent clips to a punching operation to separate the preformed clip from said blank on a line extending transversely across the entire width of said blank and to simultaneously provide rounded edges at predetermined points on said adjacent clips.

3. The method of progressively forming metallic .links for cartridge belts which comprises progressively feeding a metal strip having a predetermined width coextensive with the length of the body portion of the finished link, through a series of separate but coordinated die operations to simultaneously perform shearing, piercing, trimming and preforming operations on said strip to progressively form said links, while utilizing the entire width of said strip said performing operation causing a movement of a portion of one of the links being formed relative to the strip of which it forms a part without separating such links from the longitudinal edges of the strip or aiiedting the position or condition of the remainder of said strip, and thereafter transversely cutting said strip to sever each of said preformed links therefrom.

4. The method of progressively forming cartridge abelt links between the longitudinal edges of a strip of metal having a predetermined width coextensive with the length of the body portion of the completed link, which comprises the steps of simultaneously shearing and piercing said strip at predetermined spaced points to remove a slug of metal from said strip in advance of said shear, again shearing ,the strip to interconnect the pierced portion thereof and said first sheared portion simultaneously trimming and punching the strip at the locality of the sheared portions thereof to remove portions of the metal eiecting the movement of the remainder of the strip.

5. The method of progressively forming cartridge belt links from a strip of metal having a predetermined width coextensive with the length of the body portion of the completed link, which comprises the steps of simultaneously shearing and piercing said strip at predetermined spaced points to remove a slug of metal from said strip in advance of said shear, again shearing the strip to interconnect the pierced portion thereof and the portion of said strip at the rst shear, simultaneously trimming and punching the strip at the locality of the sheared portions thereof to remove portions of the metal Within the longitudinal edges of said strip, moving a portion of one of said cartridge links longitudinally of the strip while simultaneously preforming said portion While remaining an integral part of said strip Without effecting the movement of the remainder of the strip, and thereafter cutting said strip transversely of its edges to separate said preformed link from the strip.

6. The method of progressively forming cartridge belt links from a strip of metal having a predetermined Width coextensive with the length of the body portion of the completed link, which comprises the steps of simultaneously shearing and piercing said strip at predetermined spaced points to partially form a pair of adjacent links in said strip, again shearing said strip to form additional portions of said adjacent links, removing metal from Within the longitudinal edges of said strip to further the formation of the said links, preforming a portion of one of the links While simultaneously moving said portion relative to the adjacent link While both of said links remain an integral part of said strip Without causing movement of the remainder of the strip, and then cutting across both longitudinal edges of said blank to separate the preformed link from said strip.

VICTOR J. DEL GIUDICE. 

